NICK ROGERS

Knife Designer, Sharpener, and Maker from the United States of America.

My first knife was a Gerber LST I got when I was 14. It was a simple lock-back with a drop point blade and plastic handles, and I won it at a white elephant gift exchange. Growing up in suburban southern California, a pocket knife was never something I thought I needed, but it wasn’t long after starting to carry one that I felt naked without it.

After that first knife, I bought more knives than I care to admit and learned more about knives than I ever thought there was to know, all the while just scratching the surface of this crazy hobby. Whenever I wasn’t studying for college exams I would be watching knife reviews on YouTube or scrolling through dealer sites pining after knives I couldn’t afford. I love that knives are the perfect intersection of art and material science, design and engineering; that you can spend countless hours learning about the composition and heat treatment of steel, lock mechanisms, manufacturing techniques and edge geometry or just scroll through Instagram appreciating the aesthetic beauty of a few well-placed lines and curves.

I spent some time teaching myself how to use 3D CAD software because I figured what better way to learn more about knives than to try and design my own! I’ve never considered myself an artist, I design and manage systems by trade; databases and automation are my bread and butter, but in many ways a good folding knife is just a well-functioning system, an edge with a well-designed user interface and minimal operational bugs. Gathering as much data as I could about what good knife design looks like and how it should perform, I’m striving to design well-functioning systems, knives that the enthusiast in me would enjoy carrying.

Additionally, I operate a professional knife sharpening business and enjoy maximizing the performance of edged tools with proper sharpening techniques and abrasives. More recently, I have dove into knife making, working on custom kitchen and outdoor knives of my own.